# mute

Pronunciation: say "MYOOT" US /mjut/, UK /mjuːt/

## Verb

1. To turn off or suppress the sound of a device or audio source.
   - Simple: To switch off the sound of something, like a TV or phone.
   - _She muted her phone before the meeting began._
   - _Viewers can mute the broadcast with a single tap._
4. To reduce something to silence or quietness.
   - Simple: To make someone or something quiet or silent.
   - _The dense forest muted the constant roar of the highway._
   - _Officials tried to mute criticism of the new policy._
16. To cast off or shed feathers, as a bird does when molting.
   - Simple: To shed or cast off feathers or skin.
   - _The falcon muted its worn feathers over several weeks._
   - _Eagles mute their plumage gradually rather than all at once._

## Adjective

2. Silent and producing no sound.
   - Simple: Completely quiet, with no sound at all.
   - _The audience fell mute when the lights suddenly dimmed._
   - _A mute sorrow showed plainly on her face._
3. Lacking the physical power of speech.
   - Simple: Not able to speak.
   - _He had been mute since childhood and relied on writing to communicate._
   - _Some patients remain mute for a time after a severe stroke._
8. Not pronounced; silent, as a letter that is written but not sounded.
   - Simple: Not spoken aloud, like a letter you write but do not say.
   - _The final 'e' in 'name' is mute._
   - _French keeps many mute consonants at the ends of words._
10. Giving no ringing tone when struck, said of a metal or metal object.
   - Simple: Not making a ringing sound when you hit it.
   - _The blacksmith knew the bar was flawed because it rang mute under the hammer._
   - _A mute coin often reveals a hidden crack inside._

## Noun

5. A switch or control that turns off a device's sound.
   - Simple: A button or control that turns off the sound.
   - _She pressed the mute as soon as the call started._
   - _Each microphone has its own mute on the mixing board._
6. A person who lacks the power of speech.
   - Simple: A person who cannot speak.
   - _The novel's narrator is a mute who observes everything in silence._
   - _Trained as a signer, the mute conveyed her testimony to the court._
7. A device fitted to a musical instrument, especially a brass instrument, to dull or soften its tone.
   - Simple: A device that softens or quiets the sound of a musical instrument.
   - _The jazz trumpeter favored a wah-wah mute for his solos._
   - _A felt mute pressed against the piano strings hushed the chords._
9. A large white swan, Cygnus olor, with an orange bill marked with black at the base.
   - Simple: A large white swan with an orange and black bill.
   - _Several mutes nested along the river that spring._
   - _The keeper watched a mute defend its cygnets fiercely._
13. A person hired to mourn at a funeral, or an undertaker's assistant.
   - Simple: A person paid to mourn or to help at a funeral.
   - _At the Victorian funeral, a mute stood vigil at the entrance with a draped staff._
   - _The undertaker sent two mutes to accompany the hearse._
15. The droppings or excrement of a hawk, falcon, or similar bird of prey.
   - Simple: The droppings of a hawk or falcon.
   - _White mutes streaked the rocks below the eyrie._
   - _The keeper examined the hawk's mute for signs of illness._

## Noun

11. An actor who performs without speaking; a mime. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An actor in a play who does not speak, only acting with movement.
   - _The company's mute drew laughter with only his gestures._
   - _In the masque, a mute mimed the storm while the chorus sang._
12. A consonant produced by completely stopping the breath; a stop. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A speech sound made by fully blocking air, like 'p' or 't'.
   - _Grammarians counted 'p', 't', and 'k' among the mutes._
   - _A mute interrupts the airstream fully before its release._

## Verb

14. Of a bird, especially a hawk or falcon, to defecate. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Of a bird, to drop its waste.
   - _The falcon muted from its perch as the falconer approached._
   - _Birds of prey mute frequently while at rest._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–13** — From Middle English 'muet', from Anglo-Norman and Middle French 'muet', built from 'mu' ('dumb, mute') plus '-et', and later remodelled after Latin 'mūtus'.
**Meanings 14–15** — From Middle French 'muetir', probably a shortened form of 'esmeutir', ultimately from Proto-Germanic.
**Meaning 16** — From Latin 'mutare' ('to change').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mute (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).